Running From The Future
by Rosie-Vee
Summary: An arrival in Cardiff shakes up Captain Jack's world. Who is this stranger? And what the hell are they running from? Rated T for language. Set between 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' and 'Reset'


The computer screen above Toshiko Sato's head flashed. A map of Cardiff automatically pinged up, with a red ring circling a distinct point, a backstreet alley caught in the crosshairs.

"Jack!" She shouted, immediately tapping on the keyboard in front of her and zooming in on the small street. "We've got a signal"

"What's it this time? More junk?" Jack asked as he came up behind her, peering over her shoulder at the sight of the disturbance.

"No" Tosh replied "it's a different frequency. This thing hasn't come through the rift, it's transported itself here." She frowned, and typed frantically. "This frequency, it's recognised by the system. Something has come through on it before..."

"Well a hell of a lot has come through before, maybe they just fancied a tourist trip" Owen drawled sarcastically as he joined his team members at Tosh's desk. They focused on the monitor as it whizzed through the different wavelengths stored on its vast memory. It beeped, pulling up another reference.

"No." Jack said forcefully as he inspected the date the computer had brought up. "That was when John came through. I can't believe he's back, the bastard"

"Great, an old grudge" Owen muttered as he moved off to collect his things. The team split off to do the same, Jack grabbing his coat from the stand in the corner and yelling for Ianto to call Gwen immediately. They piled into the SUV, Tosh sending the details of their destination to Gwen's handset. Jack gripped the steering wheel tightly, anger tightening his jaw.

"Why the hell did he have to come back now?" He snapped.

"I don't know" Tosh replied from the backseat. "But something must have happened". She was flicking through the hand held computer she had on her person at all times, pulling up CCTV footage fresh from the Police archive. She scrawled through the fuzzy images of the alley mouth, but something wasn't right.

"He's not here" she murmured.

"What are you on about?" Owen asked turning round in his seat.

"The signal is moving, and it arrived on a dead end street, but on the CCTV John hasn't come out of it, the only person who's been down there is this girl. I can't get her face properly; the image is blurred, like she was running out."

"So, it's not John" Ianto concluded.

"No, it's her, she came through" Tosh replied, checking back through the footage "I'm sure of it" She confirmed "She didn't go into the alley before the signal showed up"

"And she was running away from the scene of the crime" Owen interjected.

"But, it's the same frequency" Jack stated, frowning.

"Well obviously John's not the only one with such a transporting device" Ianto pointed out looking at Jack. "I mean, he has the same wristwatch as you, doesn't he? So she must be another Time Agent or something."

"If a Time Agent is without their partner it means they've gone rouge. We need to find her" Jack responded. "How far now Tosh?"

"The signals coming from just around the corner, it's inside a nightclub"

The SUV roared up outside a small red door with a large bouncer outside, arguing with a much smaller, feisty brunette.

"I don't care how much the bleeding entrance fee is, Torchwood has unlimited access to everywhere" Gwen shouted, poking the man hard in the chest.

"Well love, I've never heard of Torchwood, so why should I care?"

"Because you'll be arrested for treason if you don't let us in" Jack stated as he walked past the security guard and straight into the club. Gwen stared at the man evilly and then followed Jack, the rest of the team behind her.

"What have we got?" Gwen shouted in Jack's ear as the loud music assaulted them.

"Rouge Time Agent" He shouted back, scanning the room.

"There!" Tosh pointed over Jack's shoulder to a young woman sat at the end of the bar nursing a bottle of beer in her hand. She was dishevelled and not dressed for a night in a fancy club. She had dark hair falling in messy curls to just below her slim shoulders and had an average straight nose and wide mouth. A strong brow framed dark brown eyes that snapped up and zeroed in on the people pointing at her.

Instantly she was on her feet, the beer bottle knocked over spilling its contents over the bar. She moved into the crowd, and the mass of people parted around her, allowing her easy passage into a back room in a matter of seconds.

"Shit" Owen exclaimed as he pushed past the others and ran after her.

"You three!" Jack shouted as he reached into his jacket, grasping the pistol hidden there. "Get outside, find any exits!" He ordered before he followed Owen. Gwen, Ianto and Tosh scrambled back to the door, flinging it open and hitting the bouncer from behind.

"What the fuck?!" The guy shouted at the team as they raced away, splitting up to find and cover any other escape routes. Gwen ran down a side street to the back of the club, and was about to turn into the driveway where deliveries were made when the door banged open and the girl pelted out, colliding straight into Gwen. Gaining her balance, Gwen grabbed the girl who screamed

"Get off!"

Gwen's arms were thrown back and the girl lurched away down the street. Gwen was only a few strides away from her and moved to snatch her again, but as she brought her hand up to the girl's arm she could not make her hand grab the limb. Gwen stumbled, confused over what the hell was happening to her body. She heard the door bang again as it was thrown back when Owen and Jack ran out, guns raised. Owen took aim and fired. The girl staggered and dropped in the middle of the road. The team rushed towards her, Ianto and Tosh arriving from different directions. Owen rolled the girl's body over, pulling out a yellow dart that stuck in her left side. The team looked at him incredulously.

"Well, I thought you might want to question her" He said to Jack as he drew a black sack from inside his jacket and pulled it over her head "Grab her feet".

* * *

The team filed into the interview room as Owen lowered the still unconscious girl into a metal chair and Jack locked handcuffs around her wrists and looped them through the armrest. He moved away as Owen pulled off the black bag and stuck a syringe into her thigh, injecting a clear substance to reawaken her. The girl remained motionless for a few moments, and then her head began to loll, her restrained hands flexing. She shook her head drowsily to clear the hair from her face, and then looked up at her captors. Memory flooded back to her.

"Oh shit" She whispered.

"You could say that" Jack said as he stepped forward. "Now, you gonna tell us exactly what we want to know? 'Cos you defiantly seem to know that you've done something wrong"

"All I've done wrong is get caught by you" She bit back.

"Fantastic, a moody teenager!" Owen muttered, and pulled out a chair, obviously expecting the interrogation to take a while. Jack rolled his eyes and turned back to the prisoner.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked pulling out the wristwatch he had taken off her while she was unconscious. The girl didn't answer, only eyeing the Captain. Jack sighed and tried again.

"You a Time Agent?"

"No" She replied simply.

"So where did you get it? You stole it?"

"It was given to me"

Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, and who gives young girls this sort of technology?"

"You did" She smiled back. Jack paused for a moment.

"And why would I give this to you? I know me, and I wouldn't give it to anyone. You stole it." He accused. The girl shook her head.

"You were protecting me, helping me to escape." She stared at Jack, and he held her gaze.

"And why was I doing that?" He asked. The girl stayed silent, and then just as Jack turned away from her she said

"Because that's what fathers do."


End file.
